Keep Your Head Up, My Love
by MissPizazz
Summary: Two years into their relationship, Dean finds that he loves Cas more than anything, and is sure Cas feels the same way. They don't need to say "I love you" out loud to know that, right? A short story where Cas is sensitive, Bela is mean, and Dean is caught in a misunderstanding. College AU - Destiel - Fluff. Lots of fluff. Sort of Songfic/Inspired by Stubborn Love - The Lumineers


**A/N: Hello! This little piece of Dean/Cas heaven is inspired by the song Stubborn Love by The Lumineers, which the link to that is at the bottom. Reminder that I don't own any of the characters, and all credit for that goes to Eric Kripke. Enjoy! -E**

_Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap_

That's all that runs through Dean's head as he is driving through the snowy neighborhood. The Impala's wheels were screeching while he was turning sharply through corners, and Dean could smell burning rubber, but he didn't even care. He also knew that it was probably quite stupid to be driving so quickly while this buzzed, but Dean didn't care about that either.

Cas just HAD to show up at Jo's party when that bitch Bela was throwing herself at Dean on the couch, making it seem like Dean was trying to get into her pants. And Cas just HAD to leave and drive off before Dean could explain what was happening. Dean knew that Cas was a rather fragile person, always scared that Dean would one day wake up and realize that he wasn't good enough for him. But after two years together, Dean hoped that the guy would realize that he loved him.

Well, its not like either of them has _said_ it yet, but they both know it.

Right?

"SHIT!" Dean yells as he is stopped behind a red light. "This isn't at all how tonight was supposed to go," reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a small velvet box while sighing. Cas was everything to him, and had pulled him out of a really dark place. Tonight, their two-year anniversary, Dean was going to tell Cas how much he matters to him after the party, and then propose. And Dean doesn't talk about feelings, so getting himself psyched up for this was a long process, he thought Sam was going to kill him or just ask Cas to marry Dean himself.

And then Bela had to screw it up.

Pulling up to their apartment, Dean notices Cas's car not in his spot. _CRAAAAP__! _Dean screams internally. "Where could he have gone?" Dean mutters to himself while hitting his head against the steering wheel. "Its too cold to be outside, he's probably too upset to be someplace public….OH!" Dean said in realization. Putting his baby in drive, he screeches off loudly towards the outskirts of town.

_There is only one place where Cas would feel safe that doesn't remind him of me_, Dean thinks while pulling up to the old Novak family house. Luckily, he remembers Cas mentioning that his whole family is out on vacation this month, because Dean knew he wouldn't dare face Michael or Gabriel if they were here.

Grabbing his coat to bundle up against the light snowfall, Dean runs out of the car to the door taking three steps at a time up the porch. He sees a light in the 2nd story window, last one on the left. Cas's room.

"Cas!" Dean yells while banging on the door. "Open up, let me explain." He hears nothing.

"Bela is a right bitch, let me tell you that. She threw herself at me in hopes that I would go back to her! Like I would ever want to date someone like her again." Still, nothing.

"Please! You know I won't leave until you come downstairs." Other than a faint creak from the old house, Dean couldn't hear a sound.

Sighing, he slides down the pillar on the porch until he is sitting down. "You know, I don't blame you for being so afraid that I'm going to leave all these years." Dean said, putting his head in his hands. "I didn't have all that great of a track record in the beginning of school, I know," Dean says while nervously rubbing his hands together and leaning back against the pillar, "I would do the same, believe me."

_Its now or never_, Dean thinks while standing up, as if gathering courage.

"But you have made me better, repaired the holes in me! I was indifferent, but you made me the opposite. You taught me how to love." Dean stood, waiting for Cas to say something.

And stood, and stood.

"Please Dean, just go away." Cas said, his voice almost hard to understand through the sobs Dean could hear coming from him. "I don't want to feel this."

Rushing up to the door, Dean jokes, "You know me and my stubborn love, I can't be told to go away. It just can't be done." A quiet, shaky laugh comes from Cas, but still the door doesn't open.

"Please, Cas, I'm so sorry. I –" Dean starts, his voice breaking. "I love you."

Silence.

Shoulders falling in defeat, Dean desperately tries to stop the tears coming down his face while slowly walking back to the Impala. Wiping his face when he gets to the bottom of stairs wiping Dean hears the front door of the house creak slightly open. Before he gets to turn around, the smaller sweatered man crashes into him, hugging Dean tightly while his body is shaking from crying.

"I love you too," Cas's gravelly voice quietly said, face buried in Dean's side. "Don't ever do that again, okay?"

"Okay," Dean says while tightly holding on to Cas as hard as he could.

"I felt like I couldn't trust my own eyes. What was happening?"

"She jumped me right before you got there," Dean said between kisses in Cas's hair, "tried to play some tonsil hockey. As if she could win me back that way."

"Could she win you back some other way?" Cas says, voice small, while pulling his head out of the embrace so he could look up at Dean.

"Of course not," Dean said firmly. Then, looking at Cas, he laughed to see him wrapped in so many sweaters and scarves. "Cold, are you?"

Blue eyes twinkled up at him as Cas responded, "Shut up, its cold out."

"You just look so cute all bundled up," Dean said, planting a light kiss on the man's lips.

"Don't think you will be getting out of this so easily!" Cas teases while pushing Dean away. "I'm still slightly mad at you."

"I know," Dean sighs as he steps back from Cas, reaching into his pocket. "But I want you to always know that I will love you forever, and I never want you to be afraid of me leaving you again."

Looking at Dean quizzically, Cas asks, "Dean, what are you doi-" he breaks off when he sees his boyfriend get down on one knee, holding out the small velvet box.

"You are the most important thing that has ever happened to me, and I want to be with you forever." Dean sees a tear rolling down Cas's cheek, and internally freaks out that he has done something wrong, but decides to keep a strong face and go through with this anyways.

"Dean…" Cas says in a breathy voice, putting his hands up to cover his face.

"Castiel Novak, will you marry me?

Cas is quiet for a second – which feels like an eternity for Dean – and just looks at him. Then, in the blink of an eye, he launches forward, knocking Dean to the ground, and captures his lips in a passionate kiss unlike anything they've had before.

"Erm – Cas?" Dean says pulling out of the kiss, "Is that a yes or no?"

Laughing, Cas says between soft kisses, "Of course, you idiot, it's about time!"

Joining his laugh, Dean slides out from under Cas and pulls out the silver band in order to slide it over his finger. Smiling, Cas looks at it like it's the most beautiful thing in the world, but then squints and tries to read the small inscription in the silver.

"Does that…? Did you really inscribe that lyric into the ring?"

"Of course I did, it was the song that was playing when I kissed you under the mistletoe at Jo's party two years ago. How could I forget?" Dean said, smiling, before leaning in to kiss Cas again.

Sighing happily, Cas whispers, "I love you," onto Dean's lips.

"I love you too. More than you know." Dean whispered back, brushing the light dusting of snow off of Cas's hair, kissing him softly. His ring shined from the porch light, with the inscription reading:

~ _keep your head up, my love ~_

**A/N: Here is the link to Stubborn Love by The Lumineers - watch?v=UJWk_KNbDHo**


End file.
